The Twelve Days of Christmas
by dana-maru1
Summary: COMPLETE The team lead the search for a killer in the 12 days leading to Christmas. JS
1. 12th Day of Xmas

Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas.  
**Author:** Dana-Maru1  
**Summary:** The team investigate a series of murders in the twelve days till Christmas...

**Disclaimer: Sue, Jack and anyone else you may recognize are not mine. But thanks Pax for letting us borrow them from time to time...**

It had been a long day for the team in the bullpen on the 15th of December. Jack and Sue were out questioning various witnesses and hitting half a dozen dead ends, while the rest of the team were doing their respective jobs. D, Bobby and Myles were pouring over crime scene photos and forensic reports when Sue and Jack got back. Tara and Lucy were trying to find out everything they could about each individual victim. Trying to find something ... _anything _that would give them a break in the case.

"Hey guys anything new?" Jack asked, without much hope.

"Nora Samuels, aged 22 was a Harvard law student; she did a recent internship at the Supreme Court and apparently loves shopping at Macy's." Lucy answered.

"Well, going over the CCTV footage from the last couple of weeks at Macy's would be a start, see if any one stands out..."

"On it." Tara said before picking up the phone to request the tapes.

Tara hung up the phone, saying she and Bobby would go to pick up the security tapes. Jack asked Lucy to check up on any court cases Nora may have been working on at the Supreme Court while he and Sue went to question the remaining three witnesses that had come forward.

They'd come to more dead ends with the first witness, who said it was too dark to see anything from where she was standing. However, the young couple that Jack and Sue interviewed last for the day proved to be a lot more helpful.

"Mr. Lawson, can you tell us what you remember of last night?" Sue asked gently.

"Well, we were just leaving this club... and we saw this guy break into some car that was parked just outside. We thought it was weird that he didn't bother taking off with the car, he just sat in the driver's seat moving one of those wooden pear-shaped car fresheners back and forth until the woman came out. She went to her car - the one the guy broke into - and he opened the door fast, knocked her to the ground. Then he pulled her into the backseat by her hair..." Mr. Lawson trailed off.

"Could you give us a description of the man?" Jack pressed.

"Well he was a bit smaller than me, maybe around 5'8? And he was wearing this brown coat, all dirty and torn. He had long hair - I think it was black but I'm not sure... it was pretty dark."

"Thank you Mr. Lawson. Miss Neill, is there anything you'd like to add?"

"No sir, I think that's about all I can remember." The girl shook her head.

"Well, thanks for your help." Jack said, and he and Sue made their way to the door.

The air was cold, a sharp contrast to that of the lounge they'd been sitting in and Sue rubbed her gloved hands together, breathing puffs of steam. Jack instinctively put an arm around her to keep her warm. He felt Sue tense slightly then relax under the weight of his arm around her shoulders. She always did that, and he always wondered why. She wondered why too. Well, deep down she knew the answer but she hadn't yet admitted it - even to herself.

They drove back to the bullpen in silence, Jack driving and Sue twiddling her thumbs deep in thought. She looked worried about something and Jack silently placed his left hand over her right one, giving it a gentle squeeze. She smiled slightly at him before turning her attention back at the snow that had fallen through the night. The sun had disappeared behind the clouds a few hours ago, giving way to the winter weather that had well and truly kicked in. The month of December had brought rain, sleet and snow for the whole two weeks and Jack had to drive cautiously on the icy roads.

Parking the car, Jack was surprised to see that his watch only read 1pm and asked Sue for the time, just to be sure.

"It's one o'clock." She confirmed for him.

"Well, do you wanna grab a bite before we get back to work?"

She smiled and signed _Yes_, and they went to a small café near the FBI building, signing while they ate.


	2. 11th Day of Xmas

Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas.  
**Author:** Dana-Maru1  
**Summary:** The team investigate a series of murders in the twelve days till Christmas...

**Disclaimer: Sue, Jack and anyone else you may recognize are not mine. But thanks Pax for letting us borrow them from time to time...**

On Wednesday evening Patricia Hall browsed the shelves in the shoe department of Macy's, searching for a pair of sandals for her night out that Friday. Walking back and forth between the aisles, she scanned for a pair with straps and a small heel, frustrated that the smallest heel looked to be about three inches. Finally, she found the perfect pair - red leather upper with a silver stiletto heel - and went to pair for them unaware of the man who'd been watching her the whole time. What he first noticed about her was the brooch she wore. Two white doves. He gazed at it with interest for a while deciding she was perfect for his task. And he followed her out of the store.

Patricia took a shortcut home, through a darkened alleyway lighted only by two streetlights. It was late and she'd been on her feet in the Emergency Room all day so she wanted to get home as quick as possible. Taking the alley route cut ten minutes from her journey. The man was still behind her, following closely. But not too closely so as not to arouse suspicion. Illuminated in the streetlight, she walked briskly and when the shadows fell upon her, he quickened his pace, catching up to her before they were bathed in the soft orange glow again. She managed to scream once before his calloused hand wrapped around her mouth. Silencing her and stopping her oxygen supply all at once. She kicked out at her assailant but met nothing other than that air. After a few moments, she stopped struggling and her body slumped against his. He let go of her lifeless form, letting her fall face down in the mud before taking the silver knife from his pocket and digging it deep next to her left shoulder blade. Once the knife had gone as deep as he could force it, he tugged it the whole way down her back and repeated this on the right side of her back. He watched with satisfaction as blood poured from the wounds, and calmly wiping the blood from his knife. He walked away as though he'd done nothing wrong. In his mind, he hadn't but to the rest of us ... well, this was his second murder in two days.

Jack walked into the bullpen on Thursday morning with a new case file in hand. As soon as he got the team's attention, and Sue was in his sight line, he began briefing them on the new killing.

"Patricia Hall, a 26-year-old doctor at George Washington Memorial was killed last night at an estimated time of 8pm. Her body was found at 7_am_ this morning, when a man by the name of Peter Martin was taking his bin bags out to the trash. According to forensic reports, it looks like it's the same MO as Nora Samuels, with one difference: There were_ two_ stab wounds this time." He explained, handing case files round.

"Still no prints?" D asked before he opened the file.

"No fingerprints yet, and the rain last night covered up any footprints we might have gotten." Jack sighed. "And no witnesses besides our Mr. Martin. Which reminds me - Sue you wanna come with me to question him?"

"Sure." She said, smiling that wide grin that made his heart leap every time.

Lucy and Tara shared a knowing glance, whispering to each other and stopped short of giggling when Sue turned around and gave them a playful glare, somehow sensing they'd been talking about her and Jack. _There is nothing going on between me and Jack!_ Her thoughts screamed, _Stupid policy, why can't they just allow inter-unit dating? Stop it Sue!_ She mentally chastised herself. She tried not to let herself think these things, but often she let her mind wander. Only when she was alone, though.


	3. 10th Day of Xmas

****

Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas.  
**Author:** Dana-Maru1  
**Summary:** The team investigate a series of murders in the twelve days till Christmas...

****

Disclaimer: Sue, Jack and anyone else you may recognize are not mine. But thanks Pax for letting us borrow them from time to time...

Friday, December seventeenth rolled around quickly. Too quickly for Sue whom lazily dragged herself out of bed after Levi had pawed at her for a good five minutes. They'd still had no leads to speak of and she wasn't looking forward to yet another day of following dead ends and getting nowhere. Glancing at the digital clock, Sue's tired eyes read the glowing numbers that told her it was 6:30. An hour and a half before she had to be in the bullpen. Tugging on her robe, she wandered to the kitchen to make coffee, surprised to find that Lucy was already filling the kettle with water.

"What are you doing up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep." Lucy turned around to say.

"Case getting to you?" She asked gently.

"I guess you could say that. I mean, it's so close to Christmas and we're looking for a serial killer."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Those women should be out Christmas shopping, not lying in a morgue waiting to be buried."

Sue took a seat at the kitchen table and the two fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.

"Thanks." Sue said distractedly when Lucy placed a coffee mug in front of her.

"The case isn't the only thing that's bothering you though, is it?"

"What do you mean?" Sue countered.

"You've got something else on your mind, I can tell."

"It's nothing." Sue told her best friend.

"Sue, come on, we both know it's not 'nothing'." Lucy pried

"Really, Luce, don't worry about it."

"Hey if you're worried about it, I have to worry about it."

"I don't want to talk about it." Sue sighed exasperatedly

"It's Jack, isn't it?"

"Why do you always have to conclude that my problems all revolve around Jack?" Sue rolled her eyes.

"Because, I have a feeling I'm right this time." Lucy replied, smiling a little.

"Okay, yeah you're right but I don't want to talk about it."

"Sue, you know you can tell me anything."

"I know that. But I can't ask your advice when I'm not even sure what's going on myself."

The shrill ringing of their telephone interrupted their conversation.

__

"Phone, I'll get it." Lucy signed.

Sue waited until Lucy replaced the receiver and asked who it was.

"That was Jack, there's been a third victim found. He wants us in as soon as possible."

Sue didn't answer, just rushed to her room to get dressed, as did Luce. And ten minutes later, they were dressed and on their way out the door, with Levi in tow. A further fifteen minutes and Lucy and Sue were rushing through the entrance to the bullpen.

"Glad you could make it." Myles said in his usual sarcastic tone.

Lucy, for once, ignored him.

"Hey guys, like I said on the phone Luce, there's a third victim. Jamie-Lee Fisher was a 20-year-old art student at NYU. Her parents have a farm just outside of the city and she came home weekends. Her parents found her in one of the henhouses. This time there are three stab wounds."

"Anyone else beginning to see a pattern?" D queried.

"It's almost as if he's counting the victims. Marking each one with an extra wound."

"Sounds plausible, Tara have you compiled that list of any cases Nora may have worked on yet? And, could you get me a profile on Jamie?"

Tara nodded in response and he handed her a case file before telling Sue that they were going to question Mr. and Mrs. Fisher.

Sue and Jack had spent an hour or two talking to Jamie-Lee's parents and got nothing very useful. Just that Jamie was a lovely girl, wouldn't hurt a fly and why would someone want to harm a person like Jamie? They went back to the bullpen and poured over the forensic reports again, still looking for something to connect the victims. It was 7pm when the team finally called it a night amidst rumbling stomachs.

Breanna loved taking photographs, she was a professional photographer and took photos wherever she went. Whenever she couldn't carry her professional camera, she had a Polaroid in her bag just in case a perfect picture opportunity arrived. Like now there were a row of robins on the snowy wall of her backyard, four of them, when she got home from her day at the office. And she quickly pulled the Polaroid from her bag to take a photo. Capturing the sun that was setting behind the four robins, she clicked the camera button and waited for the photo to develop when she heard the crunch of footsteps in the deep snow. Whipping around, she accidentally pressed the button again. And that was the last photo she ever took before she was killed.


	4. 9th Day of Xmas

Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas.  
**Author:** Dana-Maru1  
**Summary:** The team investigate a series of murders in the twelve days till Christmas...  
**Disclaimer: Sue, Jack and anyone else you may recognize are not mine. But thanks Pax for letting us borrow them from time to time...**

December eighteenth was a Saturday and Sue was still asleep long after Lucy had gotten up and begun cooking breakfast. They didn't usually go into the office at the weekend unless a big case suddenly propped up so the agents savored a well-deserved lie-in on a Saturday morning. Lucy fried sausages, eggs and bacon on the cooker while Sue slept. Weekends were also a break from the healthy eating plan Sue had persuaded Lucy to follow. Lucy cut a sausage into small chunks and absently threw a piece across the floor every few minutes for Levi to catch, until she heard Sue's bedroom door slam shut and Sue's feet shuffle along the carpeted hallway.

"Did you just feed Levi sausages?" Sue said with a sleepy smile.

"Umm... yeah." Lucy replied

"Oh. I guess I'm too tired to tell you off."

They both laughed, and sat down to eat the breakfast Lucy had spent ages cooking.

_"So what do you want to do today?" _Sue signed.

_"I was thinking something along the lines of retail therapy." _Lucy replied, signing.

_"Sounds good! I still have to buy presents for a few people." _

"Like me?" Lucy signed, laughing.

_"Oh no! Yours is bought and well hidden, I mean Jack and Myles. I have _no_ idea what to buy either of them!" _

"You could always give them gift vouchers or something."

"No, that's too... impersonal.

"You're right." Lucy laughed, _"Just give _Myles_ gift vouchers!"_

The two women started giggling like school kids for a few moments before Levi barked and led Sue toward the door by pulling the tier on her robe. She followed him the short distance to the door with a sense of dread, hoping that their girly Saturday wasn't going to be spoiled by another murder but it was only the postman delivering the last of that week's letters. Flicking through the envelopes when she got back to the kitchen, Sue muttered,

"Phone bill ... electric bill ..."

Until she got to one with an Ohio postmark and opened it.

Dearest Sue,

Your father and I will be arriving a later than planned on Christmas night as we couldn't get an early flight so how about we take you out to dinner when we arrive at 7? Perhaps I'll finally get to meet David; he sounds like such a nice young man.

I hope everything is well. Be careful honey.

Love, Mom and Dad xxx

"They never said they were coming this year." Sue said, somewhat perplexed.

"Actually, they phoned a couple days ago and asked if it'd be alright and I said it would. I guess we've been so busy with the case just now that she gave up on trying to call... I thought you'd broken up with David?"

"I did ... I just didn't get around to telling Mom. It never came up." Sue shrugged.

An hour later, Sue and Lucy were at the mall picking out outfits for their Christmas party and looking for gifts for the team. Lucy only had Myles left to buy for though Sue still had to find something for Jack _and_ Myles. Their last resort was an art store they'd spotted earlier, and they went to take a look inside. Myles claimed to be an art lover, even if the team knew it was the value more than the painting he liked. But they decided to buy him a framed copy of Monet's "Garden at Bordighera" together anyway.

Around six that evening, Lucy and Sue got home, laden down with shopping bags. They'd got Myles and Jack a Christmas gift, plus lots more. Lucy went to boil the kettle while Sue put her bags in her room and then they flopped on the couch with their mugs of hot chocolate when the phone rang.

"Hello?" Sue watched Lucy say, "Really? ... Okay, I'll let her know ... Yeah, see you on Monday."

Sue waited for Lucy to fill in the gaps.

"That was Jack ... he says they've found another body. He also said that we'd wait till Monday to check it out."

"Another one? At this rate, we'll be working over Christmas!" Sue said.

"Tell me about it." Lucy mumbled, sinking back into the couch.


	5. 8th Day of Xmas

Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas.  
**Author:** Dana-Maru1  
**Summary:** The team investigate a series of murders in the twelve days till Christmas...

**Disclaimer: Sue, Jack and anyone else you may recognize are not mine. But thanks Pax for letting us borrow them from time to time...**

The early morning sun cast a harsh glow on the white snow that had fallen overnight. Snow on the sidewalks lay untouched by pedestrians at such an early hour. The streets were almost completely empty, save for a few birds chirping and the occasional car. It was Sunday so most people were still in bed at that time. Except for the petite blonde woman who lay in the snow, partially concealed by some trees and hedges on the outskirts of the park.

Sue, who had to walk Levi, was one of the very few people in the proximity that had bothered to get out of bed before 7am. On the way to the park where she let Levi off the leash, she bumped into Jack. She smiled to herself, he'd met her on her Sunday morning walks quite a few times lately and always casually told her that he couldn't sleep or he was just on his way to the store, even if there were stores closer to his own apartment.

"Good morning." He greeted, giving her a shy smile

"You too. What are you doing up so early?" She asked for the umpteenth time

"Couldn't sleep." He answered as though it was nothing.

In truth, Jack wasn't a morning person at all and he had gotten out of bed early just to see Sue without the rest of the team. And she knew it, even if she didn't tell him so. She didn't mind, she was grateful for the company.

They found a bench in the park and sat down; Sue unclipped Levi's leash and threw a tennis ball for him to catch. He barked once and scampered off after it. A minute later, Levi returned and dropped the ball at Jack's feet. He picked it up and threw it, watching the Retriever sprint for it. The ball rolled under a row of hedges but Levi didn't bring it back to Sue or Jack. Instead, he started barking. Jack, thinking the dog couldn't get the ball out, got up to retrieve it himself. What he saw made his stomach churn.

"Levi, get Sue!" He instructed, and the dog ran back to his owner.

Jack walked slowly around the hedges to get a better view of the woman lying in the snow. Her peroxide blonde hair fell over her face, and she was half covered in snow that had settled after her death. Her purse lay next to her, open and empty and Jack wondered why the killer hadn't taken the rings on her fingers when he had evidently ripped earrings from her ears.

"What's up?" Sue's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Jack silently gestured to the woman's body, calling D on his cell while Sue took a look. She quickly turned away from the sight; stomach churning and Jack gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze as he dialed Bobby's number. Putting his phone back in his coat pocket, Jack turned to Sue.

"We've all agreed that we might as well still wait until tomorrow. Then we'll see if we can finally figure something out. D's on the phone to forensics just now so we'll have the report in the morning."

"Okay..." Sue said, looking shaken still,

"You hungry?" Jack asked, and seeing her nod went on. "What do you say I take you to breakfast?"

"You buying?" She flirted

"No, Levi is." Jack joked.


	6. 7th Day of Xmas

Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas.  
**Author:** Dana-Maru1  
**Summary:** The team investigate a series of murders in the twelve days till Christmas...

The Twelve Days of Christmas. Dana-Maru1 The team investigate a series of murders in the twelve days till Christmas...

Disclaimer: Sue, Jack and anyone else you may recognize are not mine. But thanks Pax for letting us borrow them from time to time...

Sue had tossed and turned all night, unable to get the image of that dead woman out of her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see her, making it difficult to get to sleep. And she knew she'd have to look at the crime scene photos, which didn't help her situation. She lay awake trying not to think about it when Levi pawed at her arm to let her know that the alarm clock was going off and she got wearily out of bed.

"Boy you don't look so good." Lucy said when Sue entered the kitchen.

"Thanks!" Sue pretended to be offended, "I couldn't sleep."

"Case or Jack?"

"Case. I kept thinking about the victim Jack and I found, saw her when I closed my eyes."

"You'll get used to it." Lucy told her sympathetically.

Sue shrugged and poured a mug of strong coffee in an attempt to wake up a little. The caffeine helped and she was almost her perky self again when they closed the door to their apartment on the way to the bullpen. They barely had time to settle at their desks when Jack stood in front of the whiteboard to give the team a full update of the weekend's events.

"Our latest victim, Sharlene Macadam was, as you know, found yesterday by Sue and I. She was a 21-year -old prostitute. Her death was estimated to be around 11pm on Saturday night and her purse was completely empty besides her driver's license, indicating that she was mugged. Her earrings were even torn from her ears, but she still had five gold rings on her right hand." He paused to let the information sink in before continuing.

"The victim found on Saturday morning was Breanna Henry, a 23-year-old photographer. Her purse was also empty when she was discovered; though her Polaroid camera was beside her. As well as two photos that were taken just before she was killed. One is of a row of robins but the other has a lot more significance. The killer didn't stick around long enough to remove this piece of evidence that shows half his face."

Jack handed the picture to Tara who promptly set about scanning it into her computer, hoping to find the killer's identity. He gave the forensic reports to Myles and D and left the bullpen with Sue and Bobby to find out anything they could from friends and family of the victims. They came up with nothing useful from Breanna's family and friends. They couldn't even find any friends of Sharlene and her family hadn't spoken to her since she ran away from home at the age of fifteen. So they headed back to the bullpen just before 11am.

"I found a match for that photo." Tara stated as soon as Jack, Bobby and Sue were back in the bullpen.

"Kevin Marshall; forty-five years old was arrested on the 14th of December twelve years ago when he admitted to murdering his own wife. He wasn't in employment and his last know address was a hostel on 10th and E Streets." Lucy followed on.

"Myles and D will you go check if anyone at the hostel has seen him recently? Tara, what about family - any addresses on them?" Jack asked

"His father was killed in a car accident in 1965 when Marshall was six years old. His mother died fifteen years ago. She _did_ leave her house to Marshall in the will though there's no evidence of anyone living there since Marshall was arrested. No phone records or bills since 1992. His only daughter was fifteen when she witnessed her mother's murder and committed suicide the day Marshall was sentenced."

"Thanks Tara, Sue and I will see if we can get a warrant to check out the house. Lucy did you come up with anything connecting the victims yet?"

"The only thing I can find connecting the victims is that all five of them shopped at Macy's while the half-price sale was on. Though, apparently, no two of the victims were there at the same time or even on the same day..."


	7. 6th Day of Xmas

Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas.  
**Author:** Dana-Maru1  
**Summary:** The team investigate a series of murders in the twelve days till Christmas...

Disclaimer: Sue, Jack and anyone else you may recognize are not mine. But thanks Pax for letting us borrow them from time to time...

Marlene Short spent most of her days volunteering at a soup kitchen or various charity shops across town since she retired from her teaching job. Though, today she was at a park with her husband, Colin. True to popular theory, Marshall had returned to the scene of his previous crime and was observing the couple whom sat on a bench next to the lake feeding the birds. He watched Marlene throw bread crusts toward to birds and counted at least ten ducks, six geese and seven swans. Perfect for his next task. He was behind target, hadn't killed anyone on Monday so getting two victims at once would bring him back on target. Looking around, he saw no one else nearby and decided to act right then instead of following him and her till dark. Leaving the same long wounds as on all the other victims, though adding a gash for each - six lines on Colin and seven on Marlene - he fled the park at the sound of voices nearby.

The teenage couple passing through the park saw the swift movement of Marshall dashing between some trees before he disappeared. Walking further along they discovered the Shorts' still warm bodies. The girl had seen the FBI press conference about the murders before, and quickly dialed the hotline on her cell instead of just going to the police.

Jack and the rest of the team arrived at the scene to find the girl slumped and crying, being comforted by her nervous boyfriend. He flashed his badge at them and led them to his car, taking them back to the Bureau building for questioning.

"Did the man you saw look anything like this?" Jack asked his last question twenty minutes later.

Sue showed them the photo of Kevin Marshall and received a nod from both the teens sitting across from her and Jack.

"Yes, that looks like him!" The girl replied.

"Thank you for your time." He smiled at them and escorted them out of the building.

He walked back up to the bullpen with his mind on the victims and Sue by his side.

"Anything?" Bobby's Aussie accent broke through his thoughts.

"Enough to be able to get that warrant at least."


	8. 5th Day of Xmas

Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas.  
**Author:** Dana-Maru1  
**Summary:** The team investigate a series of murders in the twelve days till Christmas...

**Disclaimer: Sue, Jack and anyone else you may recognize are not mine. But thanks Pax for letting us borrow them from time to time...**

Wednesday afternoon brought the news of the eighth victim and still the team was no closer to finding Kevin Marshall. Noone from the hostel had seen him, and they were still waiting for the warrant to search Marshall's house. He had started killing on the anniversary of his imprisonment and showed no signs of stopping yet. He was even marking the victims by which order they were killed in. One stab wound to Nora, two to Patricia and so on...

Bobby and Myles were attending a press conference to appeal for witnesses to any of the murders, while Tara and Lucy kept searching for more information on the victims to find another connection. Sue and Jack sat in the bullpen watching security tapes from Macy's to see if Marshall did, in fact, choose his victims that way though it was doubtful. Four hours of tape and he hadn't appeared once. By 5pm, Jack was beyond bored.

"If I don't give up now, I'm afraid I'll go blind!" Jack joked, "you hungry?"

"Starving!" Sue laughed.

"How about I take you to dinner?"

"Sure." Sue smiled, "just let me get my purse."

Sue clipped on Levi's leash and Jack led her out of the building with a hand on her back. Walking through the street toward a cafe they often went to, Jack heard some carolers singing.

"On the eighth day of Christmas  
My true love gave to me . . .  
Eight maids a milking'  
Seven swans a swimming'  
Six geese a laying'  
Five golden rings!  
Four calling birds  
Three French hens  
Two turtle doves  
And a partridge in a pear tree!"

And a thought struck him. The first victim, Nora Samuels, died in a car that had a pear-shaped freshener and a 'pine-fresh' one. Patricia hall had two doves pinned on her coat lapel and Jamie-Lee Fisher was discovered in a henhouse. Breanna Henry was discovered with the photo of four birds beside her body and Sharlene Macadam was left with only the five rings on her fingers. Colin and Marlene short were killed beside a pond, which was inhabited by geese and swans. And the latest victim, Colleen Smart was a chambermaid in a nearby hotel. Jack doubted that it would actually help solve the case, though. He wasn't even sure if he was just jumping to conclusions, after all he was desperate to close this case before Christmas. Sighing, he pushed the cafe door open and let Sue enter first. Finding their usual table empty, they took their seats and ordered. Sue asking for a chicken salad while Jack ordered a burger.

"Sue..." Jack started, then noticing she was looking elsewhere tapped her hand, "Sue... I was wondering if you'd help me with my Christmas shopping. I have _no_ idea what to get for my mom this year!" He rushed out almost in one breath, finger-spelling some of the words when Sue looked confused.

"Sure, I have to get something for Lucy anyway - I haven't been able to go shopping without her! Why don't we go after dinner?" She responded.

"Yeah, sounds good to me." He smiled.

"Okay." Sue smiled back at him shyly.

He smiled back at her, glad that he had another opportunity to spend time alone with her. He _did_ still have to buy a gift for his mother but that wasn't the only gift he had left to buy. Jack was hoping Sue would drop a hint about what she wanted for Christmas.

At the mall, Sue followed Jack straight toward the same art shop she'd been in with Lucy. He glanced around for a painting he thought would suit his mother's taste and picked up the framed copy of Van Gogh's Sunflowers.

"What do you think?" Jack asked Sue.

"I thought you didn't know what to buy her?" Sue looked mildly confused, if he didn't know what to buy for his mother, how come he'd gone straight for this shop?

"I forgot this store was here... So what do you think?"

"I think it's nice." Sue told him.

"Good, I hope you don't mind me dragging you to the sport store, Dad needs a new set of golf clubs and I want to see what they have in the jewelery store - can't just get mom the painting!"

"No I don't mind coming with you as long as you don't mind me dragging you to Macy's or something like that!" She replied laughing.

"Uh-oh. I don't suppose I have a choice?" Jack pouted

"No you don't!" Sue giggled, her heart melting at his puppy-dog eyes.

When they got to the jewelry store, Jack quickly found a pendant for his mother and Sue purchased a locket for Lucy, asking to have an inscription engraved on it and she'd pick it up the next day. Jack watched her stare at another locket behind a display cabinet. She looked like a kid in a candy store and he couldn't help but smile, making a mental note to come back and get it for her once he'd made sure she got home okay.


	9. 4th Day of Xmas

Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas.  
**Author:** Dana-Maru1  
**Summary:** The team investigate a series of murders in the twelve days till Christmas...

Disclaimer: Sue, Jack and anyone else you may recognize are not mine. But thanks Pax for letting us borrow them from time to time...

Thursday morning in the bullpen brought the unwelcome news of a ninth victim. Ted brought the case files to Jack, urging him to

"Find this guy soon, will you?"

"I sure hope we do." Jack replied.

"Yeah it'll be good to finally relax on Christmas!" Bobby threw in, resulting in a sharp look from his supervisor.

Jack chuckled at the slightly scared expression on Bobby's face, and even Myles laughed a little.

"Come on guys, we've got a case to solve and we all want it closed before Christmas!" D told them.

"Okay guys, our ninth victim is Craig Laughlin, aged 22. He was a musician, collecting all sorts of wind instruments, particularly the flute. So, D, Tara, Bobby and Myles, I want you to check out musical instrument stores, see if Marshall's been there lately. Lucy can you get them a list? And then find out anything else that you can about Craig Laughlin?

"Sure." Lucy answered in her usual chirpy way.

"Oh and can you see if there are any Lords visiting or living in the DC area?"

"What for?" She asked, bewildered.

"Just a hunch."

"Okay, sure."

"Thanks. Sue, you and I are going back to college for the day." He laughed at Sue's confused face and explained, "Craig was a student at Columbia."

She gave him a nod in understanding and put on her coat, following him through the door. They drove to the college in Jack's car, and Sue asked him why he wanted the list of Lords.

"Have you ever um, heard of the song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'?" He asked her, trying his best to face her and watch the road.

"Yeah, what's that got to do with the case?"

"I'm not sure it has anything to do with it. It's just, I heard some carolers the other day and it gave me an idea."

"Oh..." Sue said vaguely

"It's like the song connects every victim. And, if I'm right our eleventh victim will be a Lord. Which might make it easier to catch Kevin Marshall."

"Well, then I hope this hunch _is_ right. The sooner we catch him the better." Sue said.

"I couldn't agree more!" Jack replied as he parked the car outside the college.

"Hi, I'm Special Agent Jack Hudson and this is my partner Sue Thomas, we have an appointment with Professor Janet Paterson." Jack told the receptionist.

"She'll be right with you." She replied, picking up the phone to call the professor.

Lucy and Tara searched hotel bookings, telephone directories, everything they could think of to find out if there was a Lord in town. Nothing came up. This could be a good thing but it was also possibly a bad thing. They weren't sure which. They supposed they'd just have to wait and see if a Lord did appear among their list of victims.

By the time Jack and Sue had finally came back to the bullpen, D had news that they'd finally gotten the search warrant they'd been waiting for.

"About time!" Jack exclaimed, "Alright guys, let's go!"

And the rest of the team followed him out of the bullpen to go to Kevin Marshall's late mother's home. Pulling up in front of the two-story house, they filed out of their cars and stood together.

"Ready?" Myles asked, rhetorically.

He was met with collective nods from Sue, Jack, Tara, D and Bobby. Lucy, being only a rotor, had stayed at the bullpen. They advanced toward the house, and Jack rapped on the door with his knuckles. Receiving only silence in reply, he twisted the doorknob hoping it wasn't locked. It wasn't, and the old oak door creaked open loudly.

"Okay, D, Bobby, Myles; I want you guys to take the top. Tara, Sue and I will take the ground floor."

More nods. And thundering footsteps as the three team members pounded up the dusty stairs. Sue and Tara followed Jack into a large dining area, with an old stained oak table and chairs. The walls were the same stained oak on the lower half, and expensive looking red paper on the upper half. This guy had a lot of money. Or at least his mother had. Nothing else, besides the table and chairs were in the dining room so they advanced to the kitchen. This was where they found signs that Kevin - or at least _someone_ - had been there. In the trash can were empty cartons of milk, assorted chocolate wrappers and a few banana skins. The countertop was littered in bread crumbs and almost completely covered in groceries. The guy, by the looks of it, had recently bought it, which meant he was in the house not long ago. Probably no less than twenty-four hours. Perhaps, he was on the hunt again.


	10. 3rd Day of Xmas

Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas.  
**Author:** Dana-Maru1  
**Summary:** The team investigate a series of murders in the twelve days till Christmas...

Disclaimer: Sue, Jack and anyone else you may recognize are not mine. But thanks Pax for letting us borrow them from time to time...

Friday morning dawned brightly, but cold. Jack entered the bullpen last, failing to stifle a yawn. Obviously, he wasn't the only one have trouble sleeping though. Myles had bags under his eyes, D too. Tara and Bobby were falling asleep at their desks. And the usual sign language conversation between Sue and Lucy wasn't as animated. Trying to repress a second yawn, Jack sat at his desk and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. As Bobby had informed Jack the second he entered the bullpen, SOG hadn't seen any sign of Marshall the whole night they'd camped outside the house. And confirming Jack's thoughts that he'd been out on a 'hunt' while the team were ransacking his kitchen cupboards, Ted Garrett brought the news of their tenth victim.

"Michelle Riddell, nineteen-year-old single mother of a one-year-old son was killed last night at approximately 10pm." Jack informed the team once he'd skimmed the case notes and passed them on to Sue, who continued.

"To make ends meet she had an evening job teaching local kids to dance at the community center. She was on her way out of the center when she was killed. Same MO again with ten stab wounds."

"Lucy have you come up with any Lords yet?" Jack sighed.

"Not a one." She replied "what did you want that for anyway?"

"Just a hunch." He shrugged.

After spending most of the day trying to find witnesses and connections to each victim, the team were all back in the bullpen, scrutinizing the case files. The lamp on Sue's desk gave off a flickering glow, signaling that her desk phone was ringing and she picked it up.

"Sue Thomas... Thanks... We'll be on our way."

They heard her say, waiting for her to hang up and fill them in on the rest of the conversation.

"That was Thomas Ritchie with SOG, he said they've got Marshall in sight. He's watching some kid playing drums in his garage."

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Jack said.

Grabbing their coats, all of them - excluding Lucy - rushed out of the building.


	11. 2nd Day of Xmas

Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas.  
**Author:** Dana-Maru1  
**Summary:** The team investigate a series of murders in the twelve days till Christmas...

**Disclaimer: Sue, Jack and anyone else you may recognize are not mine. But thanks Pax for letting us borrow them from time to time...****a/n: Okay, so it's still the same day but pretend it's not lol. I couldn't come up with anything to bridge the chapters ...**

Sue, Jack and anyone else you may recognize are not mine. But thanks Pax for letting us borrow them from time to time... 

Unaware of the men and women in the unmarked van across the street, Kevin Marshall stood staring at the young boy playing the drums. A mop of light brown hair covered the boy's eyes; he didn't bother to correct it. Just kept banging away at the drum kit. Rock music was not what Kevin wanted to hear at Christmas. No, carols where all that was fit for such a season. Thus, he decided that the kid was definitely the perfect choice to complete his task. Kevin quickly glanced around him, checking for signs of life on the suburban street and seeing no one, he slowly walked toward the garage entrance. Gravel crunched under his feet and the boy stopped playing. He glanced up in time to see the glint of the silver blade as Kevin Marshall plunged it into the boy's shoulder.

The screech of many tires halted Marshall, slowing his task. He didn't want to leave his 'mission' incomplete but he didn't want to be caught either, so he threw the knife at the boy and ran. Straight into the waiting fleet of cars.

"Kevin Marshall, you are under arrest for murder in the first degree. You have the right to remain silent..." Sue saw Dimitrius inform him, before she and Jack ran to the garage.

The boy sat in shock, clutching the wound on his shoulder, blood running between his fingers as he tried to stem the flow. Sue took off her scarf and tied it tightly around his shoulder while Jack called an ambulance.


	12. 1st Day of Xmas

****

Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas.  
**Author:** Dana-Maru1  
**Summary:** The team investigate a series of murders in the twelve days till Christmas...

****

Disclaimer: Sue, Jack and anyone else you may recognize are not mine. But thanks Pax for letting us borrow them from time to time...

Sue awoke early on Christmas morning to see snow flakes falling past her bedroom window. The temperature had dropped substantially during the night and Sue shivered involuntary as the bitter cold hit her skin when she threw the duvet off of her. Slipping her cold feet into fluffy slippers, she shuffled into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. Sitting on the couch with one leg under her, Sue cradled the mug in her hands and watched the snow drifting in all directions. Lost in her thoughts, she jumped when Lucy came into the living room.

_"Merry Christmas!" _Sue signed to her roommate.

"Merry Christmas!" Lucy grinned back.

Levi came bounding in, nearly knocking Sue's coffee out of her hands.

"Levi!" She exclaimed.

"Door." Lucy explained simply, "I'll get it."

Opening the door, she wasn't expecting to see any of the team so early.

"Merry Christmas guys! Come on in." Lucy told them.

Tara, Jack, D and Myles filed into the hallway and Lucy closed the door behind them.

"Coffee anyone?" Sue smiled tiredly at her friends.

All of them agreed to a cup and Sue went to make coffee with a little help from Luce who carried some of the mugs into the living room. They chatted excitedly for a while, glad the case was finally over, until Sue realized something was missing.

"Guys... where's Bobby?"

"He's a little caught up," Jack laughed, "He shouldn't be much longer."

A bark from Levi confirmed Jack's theory, and he got up to open the door for Bobby.

"Ho, ho, ho, merry Christmas!" Bobby exclaimed once he was in the living room.

The whole team erupted in laughter. Bobby was dressed in full Santa costume, complete with white beard and sack of goodies for his friends. Opening the bag, he passed round the wrapped gifts to each of his friends.

An hour or so later, they'd exchanged all their gifts. All sorts of things were given and received. Lastly, Jack gave Sue her gift. She unwrapped it and opened the velvet box to reveal the gold locket she had admired when she went shopping with Jack.

"Open it." He urged.

So she unclasped the locket and opened it to see their 'wedding' photo inside. Beaming, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, whispering "thank you" in his ear.

"Wait." Bobby instructed when they pulled apart and he dug deeper into the bag, "I think I have something else here for our favorite undercover couple!"

Sue cast a bemused glance at Jack, noting that he looked just as confused as she felt. Whatever it was, Bobby hid behind his back until he was standing in front of the pair. He brought his arms to his side and held their last 'gift' above their heads.

"Mistletoe." Sue realized aloud.

Jack nodded and asked her if she minded.

"I guess it's tradition." She'd shrugged, giving him a shy smile.

Lucy and Tara cheered along with Bobby. They moved closer until their lips met after what seemed an eternity.

****

The End.


End file.
